Tamale-Ghana, June 20, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged tertiary students to be ambassadors of peace by sharing messages of unity in their communities, among friends and wherever they find themselves to help keep the country together.
Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed, Northern Regional Director of NCCE, who made the call, told the students that “we want you to be peace ambassadors to be educating the citizenry to be aware and conscious of extremist groups and their operations” to help in the fight against violent extremism in the country.
Alhaji Mohammed made the call at a forum in Tamale organised by the Northern Regional Directorate of the NCCE for students at the Tamale College of Education to sensitise them on violent extremism and how they could contribute to prevent and contain it.
The forum for the students at the Tamale College of Education marked the beginning of a week-long exercise by the Northern Regional Directorate of the NCCE to sensitise tertiary students in the region on violent extremism and how they could contribute towards preventing and containing it in the country.
Other tertiary institutions’ students to be sensitised as part of the exercise, which will end on June 26, include Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Tamale, Community Nursing School, Tamale, School of Hygiene, Tamale, and the University for Development Studies.
The exercise formed part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PVCE) project being implemented by the NCCE with funding from the European Union and aimed to strengthen state actors and non-state actors at the national and community levels in the fight against violent extremism, as well as individuals identified as at risks prevented from joining violent or criminal groups.
Alhaji Mohammed emphasised that “We want every citizen to be alert so that whatever is happening to our neighbouring countries, we here can be ready to contribute by conscientising everyone to be alert in their environment and report any suspicious acts to the security agencies.”
Mr Vitus Yelewere, Operations Manager, Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana, COGINTA-GHANA, told the students that “You are the ones people in the communities will look up to. So, be mindful of such opportunities to promote acceptable behaviour in society.”
Mr Yelewere urged the students to promote social cohesion and peace within their communities to live in harmony, saying “We need to work towards fulfilling peace in our communities to ensure a sense of security in society.”
He expressed the need for the citizenry to always choose peace in whatever conflicts they found themselves.
Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI), Mr Ibrahim Issaka Lang-Hani, Commander, Enforcement and Intelligence, Ghana Immigration Service, Northern Region, said the country was not immune to violent extremism, and urged the citizenry to be vigilant in their communities and report suspicious acts and individuals to the security agencies to act on.
